


Scars fade

by dragonspirit



Category: Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: Character Study, Child Abuse, Violence, possible hiatus for now
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-30
Updated: 2019-11-06
Packaged: 2021-01-13 01:08:09
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 1,935
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21235616
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dragonspirit/pseuds/dragonspirit
Summary: On the twelfth day of the Ethereal Moon,1162, House Varley gains an heir."She's perfect.""She's beautiful."Just once, she would like to hear those words again.





	1. Chapter 1

In the County of Varley, it is a cool winter night when the news makes it rounds among the village.

"The count and his wife have produced an heir!"

The words, well-meaning at their core, sound somewhat clinical and detached. Two important members of society didn't have a baby, they are simply continuing their bloodline, the main goal of any species, from the long-dead Nabateans and sophisticated humans, down to lowly worms, plants and bacteria. 

Nevertheless, commoners and nobility alike flock to the town square, gossiping among themselves. Many noblemen from all across the continent visit the Varley residence, seeking a potential mate for their own children. Of course, infants are too young to get married, but it is never too early to negotiate an arranged marriage that will benefit both Houses.

Few get to see the child herself. Not even a month old, she has a head full of fluffy violet hair. Chubby cheeks, small hands that curl around her mother's finger. Truthfully, she isn't much different than any other baby her age, save for the white markings on her right hand. But to her parents, she is perfect. 

Years pass, and the girl, who by this point every knows as Bernadetta Acaste von Varley, spends much of her time outside, playing in the field. She and a commoner boy from the village enjoy chasing each other around, giggling when one finds the other, hiding behind a bush or in a closet. 

Bernadetta's mother smiles, musing over how cute her child is. Her father is less impressed, concerned that her behavior, childish and harmless as it is, will impede her chances of getting married to a good husband.

Days pass and turn into weeks turn into months. Every week, it seems some other nobleman is staying at their house, conversing with her father. Sometimes they bring their sons with them, and Bernadetta's mother will watch the children play, though later the role is taken over by a housekeeper as her mother's pregnancy advances. 

Bernadetta wishes her father spent more time with the family. She wants to show him her drawings, read him her stories. They're not much from a professional standpoint, because Bernadetta is only five and no prodigy. But she's proud of her work, and she thinks he'll be too.

One day, Bernadetta wakes up and enters the kitchen. Her father is staring blankly at a picture of the family. Bernadetta smiles to herself, imagining him praising her for her talents.

He rips the paper in half, and in doing so, Bernadetta's heart as well.

"Father?"

"What was that filth?"

"I drew us! See, the tall man is you, then there's mother and me and Leonhard-"

"Bernadetta!" He says sharply. Bernadetta recoils a bit at his tone.

"You are a nobleman's daughter. Do you know what that means? It means you are going to grow up into a quiet young lady who is obedient to her husband. Not some, some artist or street performer. You are here for one purpose and one purpose only- to make me money. No man is going to want a wife with a head full of ideas."

Bernadetta doesn't understand what he means. In time, she will.


	2. Chapter 2

Bernadetta is ten years old today. She used to love birthdays when her mother or a cook would make a cake and sing songs to her. It was a day where her father could not get to her, since she and her mother and brother would go into to town and watch plays and eat dinner at a pub. Today, however is different. Her mother is bedridden, her third pregnancy is much harder than the others. 

Her father is in the living room, a small chair in front of him. In his hand is some rope. Bernadetta tenses. She's been hit, carved with knives, yelled at, doused with scalding water, and she's afraid of some rope? It does not take a genius to realize what her father intends to do to her.

He grabs her by hooking his arms under her armpits and sits her on the chair, coiling the rope around her until she feels like she can't breathe.

"Mother! Mother!" She screams. No one responds. She thrashes around in the chair, knocking herself over. Her father picks her up, without saying a word.

"Why? Why are you doing this to me?"

"If you can stay quiet for a few hours, I will let you go. Make any sound, however, and an extra hour is added, and I will take away your stuffed animals."

"I said why, not what are my punishments."

She is rewarded with a slap to her face.

"When you are married, you must learn to tolerate whatever your husband does to you. Even if he were to hurt you, you must learn to accept it. As long as there is no drama, you are helping us stay afloat."

Bernadetta doesn't understand why money is so important to her father. They are fairly wealthy, maybe not to the extent of House Aegir, but they had never wanted for money, especially compared to the homeless orphans begging and stealing just to survive another night that Bernadetta sees outside her window sometimes.

Her father leaves without a word. Berndatta sobs quietly, so that he can't hear her.

After twelve hours, her father finally unties her, and she collapse with exhaustion. She almost hopes that he will carry her to bed, but when she wakes up, she's still on the floor, her stomach hollow from a full day without food. 

She returns to her room, climbing onto the mountain of stuffed animals on her bed and burying herself inside. 

Sometimes, she just wants to disappear.


	3. Chapter 3

One day, when Bernadetta is twelve, she sneaks out of her room through the window. As she slides down the outside of the house, she sees a boy about her age. He looks nice.

He has shaggy black hair, clear blue eyes and freckles. He's tall and gangly, the opposite of Bernadetta who hasn't grown since she was nine. Since she's lucky to eat one meal a day, she figures that's why she's as short as she is. Bernadetta wants to approach him; it's been so long since she's spent time with someone her age. Her father cut off all contact with Bernadetta and her mother and brother, even though they all live in the same house. But she feels herself hesitate to even peek out from where she's hiding, like she's afraid she'll get hit. 

In the end, after much deliberating, it's the boy who approaches. He must have seen her climb down from her window. 

He's very friendly.

"Hello. My name is Pheonix."

Before Bernadetta can say anything, he speaks.

"And you're Bernadetta von Varley, correct?"

She hasn't been outside in so long that she forgot that her family is known by everyone in the village. 

"it's rare to see you out like this anymore."

Afraid that her father has somehow followed her out here, she lies. 

"Oh, I'm very sickly. I'm always coming down with one illness or another. But I'm fine, now."

"I'm sorry to hear that."

"Don't be."

"There's a lake not far from here. We could go swimming or fishing, if you'd like. Or we can do whatever you want."

"The lake is fine." She allows him to grab her wrist and the two run, until Bernadetta cannot look back and see her house. 

The two swim for hours, and the dress a nanny bought for her twelfth birthday is completely soaked. But she and Pheonix are having so much fun that she doesn't care, though she does feel a little guilty. The people her parents hire to work around the are always kind to her, some even sneaking her a hug or comforting word when her father isn't around. Countless times, she wished to sneak home with one of them. 

Bernadetta and Pheonix talk, mainly about silly, meaningless topics. They're children, and it's nice for Bernadetta to say something other than the drivel about obedient wives she's forced to parrot back to her father. They talk about their favorite foods and colors, holidays and animals. The longer they talk, the heavier the conversation gets. 

Bernadetta learns that Pheonix is an orphan, and his younger sister died from starvation. Bernadetta decides to confess a secret of hers as well.

"My father beats me. He won't let me leave our house. He says when I'm married, I'll stay at home all day, especially if I'm to be a mother. I'm not actually sick, I just didn't want anyone to know the truth. After all, I don't want him to beat me more than he already does." 

"I'm sorry. Does your mom know?"

"I don't know. She hasn't been allowed to see me in two years."

"Goddess above, that's awful! You have maids, right? Can you tell one of them?"

"Not without my dad finding out."

"Maybe you don't have to go home. You and I, well, we could stay here, in the forest."

Bernadetta smiles.


	4. Chapter 4

Things are okay for a while. Pheonix teaches Bernadetta how to use a bow and arrow.

"Nice job! You hit that tree this time." Bernadetta blushes,unused to praise. Even if he is referring to the fact that she managed to miss a tree right in front of her ten times. "Not everyone's a natural shot. It takes time, and practice." Bernadetta goes back to the lake and dips her feet in, watching the fish swim past, while Pheonix catches dinner. A rabbit. Bernadetta feels bad about eating such a cute creature, but she's so hungry she tears into it anyway.

Their lunch-and life together as runaways is cut short when Bernadetta spots someone out of the corner of her eye.

It's one of her father's men.

"Go," she says, her voice quiet but sharp. She gives Pheonix's shoulder a nudge, and the two run through the forest. Bernadetta keeps her eyes on the ground, narrowly avoiding roots and branches. They make it to the village square when they are captured. The man grabs both children by their arms and no one says anything when they watch him drag the kids to House Varley. 

Count von Varley looks furious. Immediately, Bernadetta slips behind her captor, cowering in fear. Pheonix stays where he is.

"Who is this?!"

"N-no one..."

"Shut up! Is this the boy who kidnapped you?"

"Kidnapped-" Pheonix interjects.

But before he can finish, their captor shoves Pheonix to the ground, slamming his head. He cries out in pain, earning him a slap across the face. 

"Pheonix!" Bernadetta screams, but her father reaches out and grabs her arm, pulling her close to him and covering her mouth. She can only watch in horror as Pheonix is beaten, over and over. A kick to the stomach. A punch to the ribs. The captor wraps his fingers around his neck. One final blow, slamming his head into the dirt.

When all is said and done, Pheonix is a bloody, howling mess on the ground. The captor has vanished, leaving Bernadetta to process what just happened.

"This is what happens when you befriend commoners. They're a distraction, a temptation." Odd words to describe a child Bernadetta was merely playing with. Regardless, she didn't want to hear it. She dives to the ground, touching Pheonix's forehead.

"Are you alright?"

"Of course not, you idiot, he's injured. Good thing wives don't need to be educated. Otherwise, I don't know what I'd do with you."

He leaves Bernadetta on the ground, curled over the body of a boy, barely breathing.


End file.
